Library 4 - Syllabus

Library 4, Information Competency Online (1 unit)

Course Syllabus

West Valley College

Maryanne Mills, MLS
Office location: Library, room 16
E-mail address: maryanne_mills@westvalley.edu
Phone: 408-741-4661

Welcome

Every day we witness the exponential growth of information in all its formats. New web sites, books, journals and multimedia resources are constantly being added to the library of life. As a student gathering research for a term paper, how do you navigate through all of this information and be able to identify what you need for your project? This course will provide you with opportunities to develop and strengthen your research skills and learn the core concepts of information retrieval. You will learn the essential techniques to finding, evaluating, analyzing and presenting information. These are key skills for a successful college career. Topics to be covered include:

Using the online catalog and the West Valley Librarys electronic resources to locate information sources
Creating and modifying research strategies to find relevant information
Exercising critical thinking to evaluate information
Understanding bibliographic citation formats
Using the Internet as a research tool
Understanding and applying the use of information ethically and legally

Course Objectives

The course is designed to enable the West Valley College student to:

Describe a variety of information sources and tools used to access these sources
Develop an understanding of and appreciation for the research process
Develop and modify a search strategy for finding information using access tools
Evaluate information for its authority, relevancy and quality in relation to a given research topic
Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet as a research tool
Apply knowledge of the MLA (Modern Language Association) style by compiling an annotated bibliography
Recognize the ethical and legal issues of information use

Professional Skills

The course is designed to facilitate the acquisition of following skills. This knowledge is highly valued in the workplace and in four year colleges:

Knowing where to look for information
Using effective skills for finding the information without wasting time looking for it
Evaluating the information for its relevancy to your project

Student Responsibilities

Each student is expected to contribute to a positive learning environment. As such, student contributions include but are not limited to:

Respecting the opinion of others
Being prepared to actively participate on the Discussion Board
Knowing when assignments are due
Taking responsibility for your learning and progress in the course
Requesting assistance from the instructor when needed
Reading and following the Course Guidelines.
Reading and understanding the Student Conduct Policy in the West Valley Catalog

Course Policies

Read and become familiar with the Course Guidelines page on the Angel Communications page.

Disability and Educational Support

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact DESP in the Learning Services Bldg. At (408) 741-2010 (voice) or (408) 741-2658(TTY) for assistance.

Unlawful Discrimination/Sexual Harassment

If you have a complaint or someone has shared information with you as a student or employee that is unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment, contact the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at West Valley-Mission Community College District, Human Resources Department, (408-741-2060). If the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources is not available, contact the President of the college in which you attend or are employed. For West Valley College, contact the office of Dr. Philip Hartley at 408-741-2097.

Student Attendance Policy (from the WVC Catalog)

Students are expected to access all sessions of each class. Instructors may drop students from the class if they fail to log on to the first class meeting, or when accumulated online sessions of inactivity exceeds ten percent of the total number of hours the class meets during the semester. Moreover, an instructor may drop from the class any student who fails to attend at least one class session during the first week of instruction.

Prerequisite: None

Required texts available in the West Valley Bookstore:

Badke, William. Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog. 3rd ed. NY: iUniverse, Inc., 2008.

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. NY: MLA, 2003.

For the electronic book (e-book) go to: http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000063582
- Follow the instuctions for purchasing the e-book ($6.00). Please note that you will have to download some free software in order to read the book.

Grading

In order to get credit for this class, students must receive a grade of C or better, or receive a Credit grade.
The course grade will be determined by the performance on the following:

Assignments:	15%
Weekly Quizzes	15%
Discussion/Chat participation:	10%
Final Project:	33%
Final Exam:	27%
Total	100%

Grade Percentage	Grade
90 -100	A
80 - 89	B
70 - 79	C
60 - 69	D (failing)
<60	F (failing)

Important Dates

This is a 6-week class, so add/drop dates are different than a regular full semester class.

Assignments

Each week, visit the Lessons tab and read the lectures and readings. Assignments for the week will be posted on the same page.
Read and become familiar with the Assignment Policy in the Course Guidelines page located on the Communication page.

Final Project

Students are required to compose an annotated bibliography on a topic of their choice. Further information will be distributed during the first or second week of class.

Final Exam

The final exam will be cumulative and will cover material presented in lecture, assigned readings, the weekly quizzes and homework assignments.